Campbell Newman and his wife Lisa address LNP supporters on election night. The Queensland premier lost his seat and his part lost government. Photo: Glenn Hunt

Newman has not fronted the public since his poll drubbing, in stark contrast to his predecessor Anna Bligh, who accepted responsibility for her 2012 loss and thanked the public for the opportunity.

Former lieutenants Jeff Seeney and Tim Nicholls are the targets of Newman's verbal lashings - with the latter being accused of "running dead" on asset sales during the campaign.

Sources said the former premier blamed Seeney for turning on him "while the ink was still drying" on the ballot papers.

Several sources have also confirmed that Newman threatened to quit as caretaker premier at a crucial time - as the party was trying to scrape together the numbers to claim a return to government.

Advertisement

That threat followed discussions over whether the party would fund the former premier's defamation action against broadcaster Alan Jones.

Such a move would have neutered the party's argument to stay in caretaker mode until the Ferny Grove by-election.

"At least Anna Bligh accepted full responsibility for the loss in 2012," one former Cabinet minister said yesterday.

"Newman will be as graceless in defeat as he proved to be in government."

Sources claim he has also threatened to release gossip involving a colleague if he doesn't get his own way.

And while the former premier is calling some colleagues to vent his anger and frustration, others have not had repeated phone calls to him returned.

Ironically, revelations of his closed-door outbursts come as an internal LNP investigation into the poll drubbing show it was his record and style - more than any other issue, including asset sales - that turned voters against the party.

It shows that while his favourability rating sat in negative territory during much of last year, it didn't prompt significant alarm bells. It even improved - slightly - on the back of Operation Boring.

But two weeks before polling day voters turned, and Newman's popularity plummeted to Tony-Abbott levels.

Attempts to sell the unpopular leader as part of a team, which included women MPs Fiona Simpson and Deb Frecklington, failed to slow the tide.

Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk, who had trailed Newman in the leaders stakes going into the campaign, quickly passed him, only dipping into negative territory briefly.

So while the spotlight damaged Newman, her opponent benefited from the campaign media coverage and at one point, as ballot day approached, her leadership rating sat "almost 10 per cent" above his.

However, that's not the story Campbell Newman, who is expected to head overseas on holidays shortly to visit his daughters, will accept. And that's making both those MPs who lost their jobs and some who sat around the Cabinet table with the former premier angry.

Cabinet ministers who served under Newman have to accept some responsibility. Why didn't they stand up to their leader?

"A couple of times we tried, but then gave up," one said.

Two others accused Newman of not understanding how political power should be used responsibly. "Probably why he only ever got to major in the army," one quipped.

The party now has to decide whether to fund the former premier's defamation action against broadcaster Alan Jones - or to draw a line in the sand on both it and a political experiment that has forced the biggest political drubbing many can remember.